Congress misusing state machinery in Jharkhand: BJP

Party candidate Manoj Kumar Singh was arrested in the state for taking out a motorcycle rally in Medininagar without prior permission

BJP today alleged that Congress had been misusing the state machinery for getting electoral gain in the five-phase Assembly polls in Jharkhand beginning tomorrow.

The arrest of party candidate from Daltongunj, Manoj Kumar Singh within hours of the AICC supremo Sonia Gandhi's campaign for a state minister and Congress nominee K N Tripathy in the constituency on Sunday is a pointer to that, BJP Vice-President Raghubir Das told reporters here.

Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Election Officer K N Jha had said yesterday that the candidate was arrested as he had taken out a motorcycle rally in Medininagar without prior permission.

Das, a former deputy chief minister, is a BJP candidate from Jamshedpur East constituency.

BJP MP Bidyut Baran Mahato, also present in the press conference, alleged that the officer-in-charge of Chakulia police station in Ghatsila sub-division had destroyed party posters and banners and some policemen even removed party flags from the houses of BJP cadres.

Mahato said the issue had been taken up with the District Election officer-cum-Deputy Commissioner of East Singhbhum.

Police, however, denied the charge.

The BJP leaders said such incidents only indicated how desperate Congress was to win a battle already lost.